Polling stations opened across England from the morning on Thursday for crucial local elections that are likely to increase pressure on Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
The polls, which include councils, mayoral and other local contests as well as parliamentary by-elections, are the last major test for the ballot boxes before general elections scheduled for later this year.
Sunak’s ruling Tories, in power in the country since 2010 and defending hundreds of seats won in the last local elections in 2021, are expected to suffer serious losses.
Polls over the past two years have also consistently shown the Conservatives suffering defeat in the upcoming general election. Voting closes at 9 p.m. GMT and results for Thursday’s contests, including the parliamentary by-election in south Blackpool, are expected to start appearing in the early hours of Friday.
However, many councils will not announce the winners until later in the day, with results from key regional and London mayoral elections not available until the weekend.
The capital’s Labour mayor Sadiq Khan is expected to easily win a record third term in office, but mayoral elections in the West Midlands and Tees Valley in the north-east of England are predicted to be tight.
A Labour victory in either of these swing constituency regions would be seen as further proof that voters are ready to return the party to power at a national level.
There have been rumours in the UK parliament at Westminster that such poor results could lead some restless Tory lawmakers to try to oust Sunak, who has held office since October 2022. However, the victory of incumbent West Midlands and Tees Valley mayors Andy Street and Ben Houchen will bolster their hopes that the beleaguered leader can still revitalise their fortunes.
As in other by-elections in recent years, Labour is expected to wrest the Blackpool South parliamentary seat from the Tories after their MP resigned over a lobbying scandal.
Pollsters predict the Conservatives could lose around half of the nearly 1,000 council seats they are defending in cities, towns and neighbourhoods across England.
In Wales, as in England, voters will only elect Police and Crime Commissioners, who control unit budgets, set their priorities and have the power to hire and fire chief constables.
